Specialists in dentistry

Sunday, April 4, 2010 11:36
Posted in category Dental Care
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Many dentists go on to specialise in a particular discipline after they complete their dental degree; this involves doing additional study and practical experience as well as passing exams. A dentist can only call themselves a dental specialist if they have completed the training recommended by the General Dental Council; however, a dentist can carry out treatments that come under specialist areas without additional training; for example, a dentist can treat children even though they don’t have specialist paediatric training.

What are specialist areas?

Specialist areas are different fields of dentistry; the General Dental Council currently recognises 13 different specialist areas including: dental public health, oral and maxillofacial pathology, endodontics, orthodontics, oral surgery, paediatric dentistry, periodontics, special care dentistry, oral medicine, prosthodontics, oral microbiology, restorative dentistry and dental and maxillofacial radiology.

What training is needed to become a specialist?

Specialist training is a comprehensive training pathway that is set out by the General Dental Council. All dentists must complete their Bachelor’s degree before thinking about a specialist area. Following the completion of the dentistry degree, dentists are required to practice for a minimum of 2 years in a professional setting as part of a postgraduate general professional training programme.

The dentist must then complete a further 3-5 years of specialist training and pass exams before they can be referred to as a dental specialist. When this period of study and practical training has been completed, the dentist will be granted either an Intercollegiate Fellowship or a Speciality Membership with the Royal College of Surgeons; following this they can apply for their Certificate of Completion of Specialist Training, which must be given before the dentist can join the list of dental specialists controlled by the General Dental Council. There are many specialist dentists in essex.

Dental implants; a new tooth for life

Thursday, April 1, 2010 13:16
Posted in category Dental implants
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Dental implants aren’t a new idea, far from it. They are the result of many years research in the U.K and Sweden in the 1950s and 60s. The results have been used to advance not just the dentistry profession, but the medical profession in the repair of leg and arm fractures. The most popular type is the Endosteal Implant which is used world wide. An implant of this type can be used to hold one or several false teeth in a permanent setting. The patient needs to have a strong, wide and healthy jaw to take one, so a series of tests are needed to find out if they qualify. Digital x-rays and photos are taken, along with measurements and a colour coding to help the surgeon and the orthodontist to proceed. If the results are fine, and most are, the surgeon will then proceed and make a cut into the gum line, then they will insert the implant onto the jaw bone, this is fixed using either self tapping screws or glue to insert a specially adapted plate with studs. To fix the studded version they will drill holes in the jaw bone. The area is then stitched up and allowed to work its magic for three to six months. The magic is a process called Osseointergration and was discovered during the 1950s research. This process is a natural one and also helps to mend multiple fractures in medical procedures. All the metal products used are made from Titanium which is non-ferrous and therefore is resistant to infection. Once the Osseointergration is complete, the surgeon will then insert studs into the plate; these are called abutments and will be used to hold the false teeth. The teeth are made by an orthodontist out of a ceramic material that is hard wearing and should last a life time. They are simply slid onto the stud and glued into place. They are a great alternative to a bridge or dentures which many people just don`t get on with. The patient will need to adjust their eating habits to format a new way of chewing their food. The new teeth need no special treatment to keep them pristine, just normal brushing, flossing and rinsing. If they become damaged they can be easily replaced by a dentist. They will eventually suffer from wear and tear and a new tooth can be glued again onto the abutment. All in all it is a great innovation in dental procedure.

Why should I get a Gastric Band?

Tuesday, March 30, 2010 12:51
Posted in category Gastric Band
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A gastric band may be a very risky thing to get for anyone that is obese by medical standards, but that is not to say that it should be discounted before it is even considered. In fact, a gastric band can be a very good type of obesity surgery for anyone that is currently suffering from obesity. This is because, per capita, is it one of the most effective types of weight loss surgeries that is available worldwide. The side effects may seem bad, but most of them are very rare and will only occur with shoddy medical work or poor upkeep on the patient’s part.

For those people that have a BMI or 40 or above, the medical community would suggest an obesity surgery such as gastric bands. This is because many other obesity surgeries would only prove to be temporary fixes because the body is used to eating these amounts of food. Gastric band surgery weans the body off the need for food and allows it to ease into eating in closer moderation all the while allowing the body to slowly lose the weight.

Also, gastric bands allow for this slow weight loss rather than all fat evaporated at once. The latter can result in skin sagging and other issues that could seem even more medically poor than the heavy weight. The body has to be able to get the nutrients that it is used to in decreasing amounts to make sure that no aftereffects take place that can prove aesthetically bad. There are surgeries that can correct these things, but that is more time in the hospital and more time in recovery when it could all have been avoided with something as simple as Gastric banding.

Hello world!

Thursday, March 25, 2010 11:31
Posted in category Uncategorized

Welcome to WordPress. This is your first post. Edit or delete it, then start blogging!